Slotted airplane wing



Aug; 27, 1946. ROGER 2,406,475

I SLOTIED AIRPLANE WING Filed Feb.. 19, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

Inventor Aug. 27, 1946. .s. P. ROGERS SLOTTED AIRPLANE WING Filed Feb. 19, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor $52217 J? 20 g g-es Patented Aug. 27, 1946 SLOTTED AIRPLANE WING Gerrit P. Rogers, Windsor, N. Y., assignor of onefourth to Samuel H. Pearis, Binghamton, N. Y.

Application February 19, 1944, Serial No. 523,135

-1 Claim. (01. 244-40) This invention relates to airplane wings or airfoils having spanwise-extending slots therethrough' near the leading edges thereof and/or at other points along the chord, and the primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved wing or airfoil of the above kind embodying novel means for controlling the slot and thereby Varying the lift of the wing or airfoil.

An important object of the present invention is to provide slot-controlling means of the above kind, which is exceedingly simple in construction and highly efficient in operation.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide slot-controllin means of the above kind which is automatically operable by wind pressure for varying the lift of the wing or airfoil automatically in accordance with changes in the wind pressure.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate correspondin parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an airplane wing or airfoil constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a modified form of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 indicates an airplane wing or airfoil of suitable or conventional shape, the leading edge being indicated at 6, the trailing edge at I, the tip at 8, and the inboard end at 9. The wing or airfoil is provided near its leading edge 6 with a spanwiseextending slot Iii that extends upwardly and rearwardly through the wing or airfoil and has front and rear walls I I and I2, respectively. Thus, the slot has an entrance I3 at the bottom of the wing or airfoil and an exit I4 at the top of said wing or airfoil earwardly of the entrance I3.

Referring to the form or, embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, a shutter I for controlling the slot I0 is provided at the entrance l3 of said slot, said shutter being pivoted, as at I6, along one longitudinal edge to the wing or airfoil at the .juncture of the rear wall l2 of the slot II] with the bottom of the airfoil or wing. The shutter I5 is thus mounted for v vertical swinging movement within the lower end of slot Ill, being movable upwardly to open position and downwardly to closed position. A suitable stop or ledge IT-is provided on the front wall II of slot I0 at the entrance I3 for limitin the downward swinging movement of shutter IE to closed position, wherein the shutter is inclined slightly with its forward edge above the bottom of the wing or airfoil. A helical tension spring I1 is connected at one end to the free edge portion of the shutter l5, as at I8, and has its other end attached, as at I9, to the wing rearwardly of slot II). This spring acts to normally yieldingly open the shutter I5, and wind-pressure operated means is provided for swinging the shutter I5 toward closed position against the action of spring IT. This wind-pressure operated means consists of fins 20 provided on the pivoted edge of shutter l5 and projecting below the bottom of the wing or airfoil coextensive with the shutter l5. Obviously, in accordance with variations of wind pressure against the fins 25, the position of the shutter I5 will be automatically changed to control or regulate the slot I0 and thereby automatically vary the lift of the wing or airfoiL. While the construction illustrated involves a single elongated slot and a single controllin shutter therefor, it will be obvious that the slot and shutter may be divided to provide a plurality of shorter slots and separate controlling shutters therefor. However, as the invention lends itself particularly to construction involving a single elongated slot and a single controlling shutter for the slot, extreme simplicity of construction is provided for. By locating the shutter at the entrance of the slot and near the bottom or critical side of the wing or airfoil, a most efficient control is had.

Referring to the form or embodiment of Figure 4, the shutter i5 is pivoted along one longitudinal edge, as at It, at the juncture of the rear wall of the slot ill with the bottom of the Wing or airfoil, but has no portion or fins projecting below the bottom of the airfoil or wing. This shutter is mounted to swing within the slot l0 exactly like the shutter I5 in Figure 3, and a similar spot or movement-limiting ledge I1 is provided for shutter I5. In this embodiment,

the shutter is adapted to be manually actuated by the pilot of the airplane for controlling the lift of the wing section or airfoil. For this purpose, a lever 2| may be pivoted in the wing or airfoil rearwardly of the slot I0 and a link 22 mayconnect the lower arm shutter l5, an operating rod 23 being connected known in of lever 2| with the for CQIltIOlliIlgjhG slot l0 and varying the lift V of the wing or airfoil. In this embodiment, the

slot extends from near the inboard end of the wing to a point near the tip thereof and a single shutter is used so as to avoid the usual difiiculty of closing multiple slots. In other respects the device of Figure 4 is similar to that of Figured,

ence character in both views. a

' From the foregoing description; it isbelieved that the construction and operation, as well as the advantages of the present invention, will readily understood and appreciated by'those skilled in the art. Minor changes in details of construction illustrated and described may be resorted 'to, such as fairly 'fall'within the spirit 7 and scopeof the invention as claimed.

and remaining parts are indicated by like refer- What I claim as new is: V

In an airplane, an airfoil having a spanwise upwardly and rearwardly extending passageway therethrough near its leading edge,'said passageway having front and rear walls and providing an entrance at the bottom of the airfoil and an exit at the top thereof, a shutter for controlling said passageway pivoted along its rear edge to the rear wall of said passageway at said entrance and movable upwardly and rearwardly within the passageway to open position, a ledge on the front wall of said passageway at said entrance and engageable by the front edge portion of said shutter for limiting forward and downward swinging-movement of the latter to closed position, and operating means for said shutter, said operating means including a tension spring connected to and acting to open the shutter, and short spaced fins fixed to the pivoted edge of and lying in a plane parallel with the shutter, said fins projecting rearwardly and downwardly below the airfoil when the shutter is open for being acted'upon by wind pressure to close the shutter against the action of said spring.

GERRIT 1?. ROGERS 

